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Sunday, May 15, 2011

IMM #1 for 5/15/2011

Welcome to my first IMM posting. HUZZAH! Since this is my first post, I was going to include books that I've gotten over recent weeks, but then when I looked at the piles, thought better of it. Eventually I will be doing a photographic tour of my bookshelves - that will be a huge project - so they will be included at some point. I don't own a video camera nor a webcam so I will be sharing my books via photos. Maybe someday I will get one but that would also mean getting over shyness and stage fright.

Ah well, on with it then.

All books were purchased from Amazon.com. From top to bottom: Two copies of the House at Riverton by Kate Morton; The Annotated Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairylandin a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente; The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton; Promethea (Books 4 and 5) by Alan Moore and the 2007 and 2008 editions of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror.

Why two copies of The House at Riverton, you say? Well I was expecting the copy at the top of the pile, but Amazon sent me the second one. I. Was. Not. Happy. So I sent off an e-mail to customer service and promptly received a response from a lovely gentleman saying that he wanted to make it right for me. The correct copy went out in the mail, via one-day FedEx shipping and I received it yesterday. Now looking at the pic below, you can see why I wanted the one on the left. A cover with a pretty estate with a fountain or one with a staircase. Um, yeah, no brainer. Oh and if you are wondering what that creature is above the books, it's a light-up angler fish that my honey bought for me for my birthday this year.

Angler fish approves of the prettier copy.

I purchased the Annotated Pride and Prejudice because I am gearing up for an all things Jane Austen extravaganza which will be hosted by Misty of the Book Rat. Check out the button in the left side bar and this post too. I was going to purchase the Norton Critical edition but found that I was drawn to this cover more. I also like that there is the text of the novel on one side and the notes are on the facing page, similiar in format to any of the Folger's Shakespeare plays. Go editor David Shapard! I am also expecting his editions of Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion when they come available from Quality Paperback Book Club - darn back orders! QPB e-mailed me begging asking for me to come back, so I couldn't pass up the sweet deal of six books for $1 each.

As I've mentioned before, I've never read a stitch of Jane Austen, so I am excited.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland: In A Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente is really a lovely looking children's book. It was originally published by the author online and I believe it was a story that was mentioned in her novel Palimpsest. Love the illustrations, which kind of remind me of the ones in the Harry Potter series. I look forward to reading about September's adventures and getting back to Palimpsest at some point. At the time I found it difficult to get into.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I wanted to round out my Kate Morton collection. I originally purchased a copy on my Nook last year but found that the map that is in the text doesn't show up correctly. Also the end papers are unavailable in e-Book format and since it is a print of an Arthur Rackham work, I had to have a copy - love him! Ms. Morton's works are inspired by faerie and fairy tales, which are themes right up my alley.

Books 4 and 5 of the graphic novel Promethea. I've had the first three for ages and finally wanted to finish the collection. I don't really remember much of what I read so I am looking forward to sitting down and devouring them one after the other. Myth, magick and mayhem ensues in this series. Alan Moore also created The Watchmen. Movie was good but I never seemed able to finish the comic. I might do a full post on the entire Promethea series at some point.

It's a mission of mine to collect all of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. I got the 2007 and 2008 for less than $10 dollars each. I believe there are 21 years in all and Terri Windling was a co-editor for most of them. Covers are quite gorgeous given that it's the work of Thomas Canty, whose art has graced many a cover of a fantasy novel.

3 comments:

Thanks for showing the inside of some of the books. Those illustrations are so lovely. And the new annotated Jane Austen novel is clever! Mine have all the notes at the end, which meant I did a lot of flipping back and forth when I studied Pride and Prejudice and Emma in uni; that new format would have saved me a lot of effort at the time! But if I were just reading for fun and not for study, I'd like all the notes in the back, as they usually are. =)

About Me

A born and bred city girl who yearns for a quiet bungalow surrounded by trees and gardens. I've been inspired by the many book blogs that I've come across this year and decided it was time for one of my own.